1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices which facilitate hazardous materials decontamination procedures and, more particularly, to a portable, durable, re-usable platform for use in the performance of said decontamination procedures.
2. Description of the Background
Hazardous materials response personnel (“responders”), such as firefighters, are typically subjected to some form of on-site decontamination procedure once the circumstances requiring their presence have been addressed. Often, one or more fully-encapsulated hazardous material suits must be deployed to ensure the safety of the responders while working with, or in the vicinity of, the hazardous material(s). Use of one or more of those suits requires that they be subjected to thorough decontamination prior to storage for future use. One procedure for accomplishing the required on-site decontamination is the washing of the suit's exterior with an  appropriate cleaning/decontamination agent while being worn by the responder. However, due to the presence of hazardous materials in the fluid runoff, the procedure must include the collection of that contaminated runoff in some form of temporarily deployed vessel.
Previously, responders grabbed any convenient implement to elevate themselves above the collection vessel (and accumulated fluid), inclusive of plastic or metal, “milk”-style crates and plastic pallets. Unfortunately, these unintended devices raise safety issues such as: (1) insufficient structural strength to support the combined weight of the responder and the hazardous materials suit, (2) insufficient lateral stability while the responder is stepping on or off the apparatus, and (3) insufficient physical size (i.e. length, width). When a responder is wearing a fully-encapsulated hazardous materials suit, his/her vision and dexterity are severely compromised. If a responder trips and/or falls while attempting to step on or off the elevated apparatus, needless injury to or direct contamination of his/her body, and damage or destruction of the hazardous materials suit, can result.
The present invention is not the first to address the need for elevated support platforms used in association with the clean up and/or containment of hazardous materials. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,838,178 to Chriske et al., 5,020,667 to Bush, and 6,382,108 to Stanek et al. disclose platforms designed to accommodate hazardous materials. Each of the platforms has a perforated top surface and an integral containment vessel. Additional devices intended to facilitate cleaning and/or decontamination procedures are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,675,923 to Ashley, 4,858,256 to Shankman, and 6,164,298 to Petter et al. Each of those apparatus include a  platform on which an individual may stand, or an object may be situated, such that a cleaning/decontamination procedure may be completed.
Unfortunately, each of these prior art devices possesses certain limitations with respect to the specific needs addressed by the present invention. The Chriske et al., Bush, and Stanek et al. devices do not incorporate collapsible and weight-minimizing designs to emphasize ease of storage and portability. They are each, in fact, intended primarily for transportation via fork-lift trucks. The platforms of the Ashley, Shankman, and Petter et al. apparatus are piecemeal components of far more elaborate systems and are likewise not at all portable.
Therefore, there remains a need for a portable apparatus that provides a substantial degree of utility in supporting the weight of a responder wearing a fully-encapsulated hazardous materials suit in an elevated position during on-site decontamination procedures. An apparatus of this type should be sized to provide a responder, even with the limited vision/dexterity imposed by the hazardous materials suit, with a large enough area to safely maneuver during decontamination, collapsible to allow for easy storage and transportation, lightweight for optimum portability, and economical to manufacture in order to provide for widespread use.